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Monday 17 August 2009

The Federal Government will begin negotiations with the Opposition today to try to get its renewable energy target through Parliament by the end of the week. The Government has split the target from its emissions trading scheme, which was rejected by the Senate last week. The Opposition says it wants to pass the bill, but is worried about the level of compensation available to high emitting industries. More

One of Australia's largest irrigation properties, Cubbie Station is up for sale. The cotton-growing operation has been valued in excess of $450 million. It comes with a water-storing capacity equivalent to Sydney Harbour. The Federal Government is being urged to buy the property to help restore the natural flows in the Murray-Darling Basin. More

Australian forces in Afghanistan are training and mentoring the local troops, but it's a slow process towards self-sufficiency. The commander of the Australian task force in Afghanistan says Australian troops may be needed there for at least another five years. More

The interim report of Victoria's Bushfire Royal Commission will be tabled in the Victorian Parliament today. It's expected that the commissioners will recommend changes to the bushfire warning system and the stay-or-go policy in particular. People with first-hand experience of the fires are keen to see changes made and the Victorian Opposition is urging the Brumby Government to act on the recommendations immediately. More

British security contractor Daniel Fitzsimons is accused of shooting dead two of his colleagues in Iraq, including Australian Darren Hoare. There are now revelations that he was a disturbed man with a history of psychiatric illness. Daniel Fitzsimons' family say he should never have been in Iraq. More

For the first time Palestinian militants have detonated a suicide bomb against their fellow Arabs. Twenty-four people were killed in a gunfight in Gaza at the weekend, when Hamas fighters stormed a mosque to crush a rival Islamist Al Qaeda-inspired group. After escaping, the group's leader later detonated a bomb at his home killing several members of Hamas. More

Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt has done it again, wowing crowds at the World Athletics Championships in Berlin by winning the 100 metres in 9.58 seconds. Commentators say it's scarcely believable how fast the first three men made it across the line. More

The UN special rapporteur on Indigenous human rights starts a two-week tour of Aboriginal communities today. He will meet with Government officials and Aboriginal groups who will voice their concern over the intervention. More

A leading economist is warning that commercial property values in the United States could halve as the impact of the global financial crisis widens. Ray Torto, chief global economist at the US property goliath CBRE, talks through the risks with business editor Peter Ryan. More